University of Manitoba - School of Art -
UPCOMING/CURRENT EXHIBITIONS: To be announced. 

 

2014 MFA Exhibitions composite

2014 MFA Thesis Exhibitions
Ryan Amadore, Andrew Harwood, Lindsay Joy

The School of Art and School of Art Gallery are pleased to present thesis exhibitions by Master of Fine Art students: Ryan Amadore, Andrew Harwood, and Lindsay Joy.

Ryan Amadore: Open Studio: A Phase in Six Years of my Art Education

Ryan Amadore’s Open Studio: A Phase in Six Years of my Art Education is a true-to-scale reproduction of his graduate studio space, populated by a meticulously constructed life-size, wax self-portrait. Evoking Romantic imagery of the artist in the studio, the uncanniness of the wax figure creates an experience of the type that Mike Kelley has described as “banal [and] emptied of magic.” The figure’s eyes are closed and his gesture is as vulnerable as it is defensive. Almost teetering, but balanced within the space, the work poetically falls apart upon close inspection and reveals a narrative that’s open to interpretation.

 Ryan Amadore is a multi-disciplinary artist currently based in Winnipeg. He studied at Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD) and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Emily Carr University of Art and Design (ECUAD) in 2009. He was selected to attend an artist residency at the Banff Center for the Arts in 2010 and has exhibited his artwork across Canada. His art practice has been supported by: the Canada Council for the Arts, the Banff Center for the Arts, NSCAD, ECUAD, the School of Art, University of Manitoba, and Video Pool Media Art Center.

Andrew Harwood: Funeral Camp

Funeral Camp is an exploration of grief and humour through the media of video, performance and installation. This exhibition examines the relationships between death, humour, play and camp in relation to aspects of queer spirituality and to queer communities. The themes explored in this body of work include death, nature, culture, witchcraft, play, drag, sadness and glamour. Funeral Camp and the questions Andrew Harwood poses are, in part, a gay man’s perspective on surviving the AIDS epidemic. He wonders if it is possible to express humour and grief simultaneously in a body of work. Can works of art be at once camp and deeply emotional?

 Andrew Harwood is a Winnipeg-based artist, writer, curator and gallerist. His exhibition Séancé was recently exhibited at Platform Centre for Photographic & Media Arts. He is past Director at Mercer Union, A Space Gallery and General Manager of C Magazine in Toronto. He currently runs Zsa Zsa West, a DIY commercial and experimental art space in Winnipeg that promotes works in all media by queer, as well as emerging and artists from under-represented communities. Harwood will be exhibiting Notes From a Funeral Camp, a multimedia installation using elements of his master’s thesis exhibition, at Paul Petro Contemporary Art in Toronto in January 2015. His works are in the collections of the Bank of Montréal, The Toronto Dominion Bank, The University of Guelph, Queens University and private collections in Canada and internationally.

Andrew Harwood gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Manitoba Arts Council Student Bursary Program and the Marvin and Irma Penn Scholarship.

Lindsay Joy: I’ll Cry If I Want To

“I’ll Cry If I Want To,” says Lindsay Joy, “is a farewell to my own girlhood. Being stuck in the past makes me feel like I’m still not an adult, and I am always sure my imposter-hood will be caught. I confront imaginary bullies – the feeling surrounding things people have said to me over the years – things I am sure have been long forgotten by everyone but me. I create a playful, safe and comforting space through the accumulation of nostalgic and kitschy objects, repetitive stitching, narrative, writing and girly aesthetics.”

 Lindsay Joy explores feelings of anxiety and the possibilities of their remediation using a multidisciplinary approach that includes embroidery and other craft processes, installation, found objects, drawings, zines, writing, and video.

In addition to her individual practice, Lindsay Joy comprises half of the collective Girl Gang Dance Party with artist melinda topilko. The collective recently transformed the girls’ washroom of a Calgary high school for Phantom Wing: A Pre-Demolition Project at King Edward School. Joy has an undergraduate degree in Fibre with distinction from the Alberta College of Art and Design. In July, she will participate in Plug-In ICA's Summer Institute residency.

Exhibitions
June 5 - 13, 2014

Performances by Andrew Harwood
Preview – June 5, 5:00 pm
June 13, 6:30 pm

Closing reception
June 13, 6:00 – 8:00 pm

Oral Examinations

 Ryan Amadore
June 5, 1:00 pm

Andrew Harwood
June 7, 1:00 p.m

Lindsay Joy
June 17, 1:00 pm